The Golden Flash

"Huh? What's this?"

Uchiha Kei stared blankly at the scene before him. If not for the stinging gust of a punch still scraping painfully across his face, and the small hole in Imai Kenta's chest, he would have thought he'd fallen victim to a Genjutsu!

Uchiha Kei was still a little dazed, but soon he seemed to realize what had happened. Most likely, Namikaze Minato had arrived!

Only Namikaze Minato was fast enough to move so quickly that no one could see him, and only he could use space to move someone completely out of the way in an instant!

Sure enough, a deafening crash suddenly erupted in a patch of woods several dozen meters from Uchiha Kei.

The dust that billowed up several meters into the air told Uchiha Kei that this was probably the punch Kitsuchi had been about to land on him!

At the thought, Uchiha Kei shuddered. If that punch had hit him, there was no doubt he would already have been reduced to a lump of mush.

At last, though, Uchiha Kei could breathe a little easier. The feeling of being cornered with no way out had nearly broken him. Now, he couldn't even keep his Sharingan active.

"If I'd known he'd be so late, I should've summoned him right away. What a mistake." Feeling safe at last, Uchiha Kei slumped to the ground and muttered under his breath.

"Sorry I'm late." Just then, a voice sounded behind Uchiha Kei, and he finally felt completely at ease.

The voice belonged to Namikaze Minato, though he sounded quite serious. "Something came up, and I never expected Kitsuchi to be here. I'm sorry you've been put through so much trouble."

"At least you made it. Kakashi might not last much longer, and Hyuga Aya's in bad shape too." Uchiha Kei forced himself to sit up and took out a Ration Pill.

He'd never wanted to eat these things, but at a time like this, he didn't have much choice.

As he chewed the dry, unpleasant Ration Pill, Uchiha Kei quickly recovered his chakra, even if it was only a little.

As long as he could move normally, that would be enough. He'd given up on fighting, and didn't think there was anything left for him to fight anyway.

With Namikaze Minato around, Uchiha Kei could just stay on the sidelines and watch.

Meanwhile, Namikaze Minato quickly checked Kakashi's condition. When he returned, he didn't look too pleased.

"Can you move?" Namikaze Minato asked gravely. "We need to leave at once and get to the rear. Then we can find somewhere to rest and recover."

"I think so." Uchiha Kei got unsteadily to his feet. This was the time to grit his teeth and push through.

"Good. I'll carry Kakashi, and you carry your teammate, Kei-kun." Namikaze Minato gave his orders. "You're Chunin Imai, right? Please protect Rin. You may be the only one left who can do that. We need to move quickly; enemy reinforcements are on their way."

Uchiha Kei's face darkened at the first part of the order. He was already so exhausted, and now he had to carry Hyuga Aya?

Was this some kind of joke?

But Namikaze Minato's next words made him fall silent. As the only Medical Ninja, Rin needed someone with the ability to protect her.

Besides, Kakashi was so badly wounded he looked as though he wouldn't survive. He needed even greater protection, and to guard against the enemy suddenly appearing, Namikaze Minato had to do it himself.

Uchiha Kei glanced at Rin, who had put on another harmless smile and obediently picked up the unconscious Nohara Rin. Her injuries weren't too serious. With a sigh, Uchiha Kei hoisted Hyuga Aya onto his back too.

Uchiha Kei had no intention of reporting Imai Kenta for his "one minute" remark. For a man like him, saving Uchiha Kei in his moment of greatest peril was already more than enough.

He might have done it mostly for his own sake, but after saving Uchiha Kei once at the most critical moment, Uchiha Kei wouldn't sell him out.

A favor should be repaid, whether or not the other person cared.

Of course, Uchiha Kei had also planned to do the same thing himself. He simply hadn't been capable of it afterward, and didn't want to cause any more trouble.

Uchiha Kei glanced back at Hyuga Aya. She was weak, but still conscious. He couldn't help admiring her willpower.

After a moment's thought, Uchiha Kei simply fed her a Ration Pill. Whether it helped or not was no longer his concern.

"Don't expect me to thank you." Hyuga Aya's eyes remained cold. "You were only trying to save yourself, too."

"Yeah, I was trying to save myself. But at least I took down three Iwa Ninja, while you're just lying on my back." Uchiha Kei gave her a mocking smile. "Then again, your Hyuga Clan has always been in charge of scouting and cleaning up the battlefield. Asking you to fight must be a real hardship."

"You..." At last, a flicker of emotion crossed Hyuga Aya's usually cold eyes. "Maybe. Typical Uchiha, taking down three Iwa Ninja on your own, none of them ordinary opponents, and holding out against the Third Tsuchikage's son for so long. I suppose you'll rise quickly through the ranks once we get back, won't you?"

"Maybe." Uchiha Kei shrugged. "That's why I'm your Captain. You look like you'll live, so you can spend the rest of your life serving under me, Aya."

Perhaps he'd finally relaxed now that the pressure of Life and Death had passed.

Or perhaps the experience had been so terrifying that Uchiha Kei was glad to talk more and vent his feelings.

Hyuga Aya fell silent at his words, and anger showed on her pale face. Uchiha Kei found it immensely satisfying.

He didn't notice the strange smile that suddenly appeared on her face.

The battle was over, but Uchiha Kei didn't dare let his guard down too much. He knew there were still plenty of Iwa Ninja on their heels.

Perhaps the Ration Pill was beginning to work. Uchiha Kei's chakra had started to recover a little. It still wasn't enough for a fight, but he could carry Hyuga Aya and run faster without a problem.

Meanwhile, Kitsuchi sat up from the ground and looked at the Kunai embedded in his left shoulder. He drew a deep breath.

If he hadn't reacted quickly enough and moved to evade at the last moment, that Kunai might have pierced his heart!

"The Golden Flash... Namikaze Minato?" Kitsuchi's voice was weak. He didn't dare pull out the Kunai, or he would lose even more blood!

But he etched Namikaze Minato's name into his memory, along with that nameless brat from the Uchiha Clan.